Apparatus for protecting a surfboard

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for protecting a surfboard when the surfboard is located within a surfboard bag. The apparatus includes a substantially surfboard shaped body dimensioned to substantially cover at least one of a top and bottom face of the surfboard and a peripheral portion extending from the body. The peripheral portion is adapted to provide padding and is arranged to be locatable in a space between side rails of the surfboard and side walls of the surfboard bag so as to protect the surfboard.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to an apparatus for protecting a surfboard. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus for protecting a surfboard when located inside a surfboard bag and an associated method of packing the surfboard within the surfboard bag using the apparatus.

BACKGROUND

During travel surfboards are often stored within a surfboard bag. These bags are normally of a generally surfboard shape and may include some padding to protect the surfboard.

However, most surfboard bags do not provide a sufficiently snug fit or provide sufficient padding for a surfboard as surfboards each have a unique shape and configuration. For example, the rocker line or outline of two surfboards are rarely the same. Accordingly, prior to travel surfers often pad the surfboard or pack items such as towels and wetsuits around the board to protect the board.

To reduce the amount of luggage, particularly when travelling by air, surfers often place clothing, shoes and other items within the board bag. In some instances, the items are packed or wedged between the board and the board bag for additional support and protection of the surfboard.

A problem with placing these items within the board bag is that these items are loose and may shift during packing and transport. This may result in the items shifting during travel and exposing parts of the board such as the rail or rocker line to potential damage. The items themselves may also damage or contribute to damage of the surfboard.

Another problem of placing these items within the board bag includes the items may not be located in the correct position to protect the board, the items moving during transport so as to create an uneven weight distribution within the surfboard bag and the items within the surfboard bag being generally disorganised. Again, the items themselves may move into positions which damage or contribute to damage of the surfboard.

The invention disclosed herein seeks to overcome one or more of the above identified problems or at least provide a useful alternative.

SUMMARY

In accordance with a first aspect there is provided, an apparatus for protecting a surfboard when the surfboard is located within a surfboard bag. The apparatus including a substantially surfboard shaped body dimensioned to substantially cover at least one of a top and bottom face of the surfboard and a peripheral portion extending from the body. The peripheral portion is adapted to provide padding and is arranged to be locatable in a space between side rails of the surfboard and side walls of the surfboard bag so as to protect the surfboard.

In one aspect, the peripheral portion is provided in the form of a flap dimensioned to extend over the side rails of the surfboard, the flap being adapted to receive an article so as to provide the padding.

In another aspect, the flap includes a pocket in which the article is receivable.

In yet another aspect, the pocket is arranged to be accessible from a side of the flap which faces away from the surfboard.

In yet another aspect, the flap is continuous and skirts the surfboard shaped body.

In yet another aspect, a plurality of flaps are provided each of which are coupled to a periphery of the surfboard shaped body.

In yet another aspect, the plurality of flaps include: a tail flap arranged to be extendable around the tail section of the rail of the surfboard; side flaps arranged to be extendable around and along a side section of the rail of the surfboard; and a nose flap arranged to be extendable around a nose section of the rail of the surfboard.

In yet another aspect, the apparatus includes an elastic part arranged such that the surfboard shaped body is stretchable to accommodate surfboards of varying sizes.

In yet another aspect, the elastic part is arranged intermediate the surfboard shaped body so as to divide the apparatus into front and rear sections which are moveable in a lengthwise direction relative to one another.

In yet another aspect, the surfboard shaped body includes at least one receptacle into which a further article is receivable.

In yet another aspect, the at least one receptacle is located on a top side of the surfboard shaped body.

In yet another aspect, the at least one receptacle is provided in the form of a series of compartments into which further articles are receivable.

In yet another aspect, the each of the series of compartments is releasably sealable by at least one of a zipper, button or Velcro.

In yet another aspect, the at least one zipper includes a side section and a curved section extending from the side section, the curved section extending at least partially across the surfboard shaped body.

In yet another aspect, the series of compartments are segmented so as to form segmentation fold lines between the compartments which extend across the surfboard shaped body.

In yet another aspect, one of the fold lines is intermediate a nose and tail of the surfboard shaped body so as to allow the apparatus to be folded in half to a folded state.

In yet another aspect, the nose and tail each include one of a strap and an aperture, wherein in the folded state the strap is insertable through the aperture to form an attachment point to which a hanger is attachable to secure and hang the apparatus.

In yet another aspect, the apparatus is adapted to be rolled into a carry bag.

In yet another aspect, the apparatus includes a carry strap coupled to opposing sides of the surfboard shaped body, the carry strap being configured such that when the apparatus is rolled into the carry bag the strap is accessible for the carriage of the carry bag.

In yet another aspect, the article includes at least one of padding or clothing.

In accordance with a second aspect, there is provided a method of packing a surfboard within the surfboard bag using an apparatus, the apparatus including a surfboard shaped body having at least one foldable flap extending from the surfboard shaped body, the method including the steps of: placing the apparatus in a nose to tail orientation on the surfboard with the at least one foldable flaps draped over side rails of the surfboard; and placing the surfboard and apparatus within the surfboard bag such that the foldable flaps are located between side walls of the surfboard bag and the surfboard.

In one aspect, the method includes the step of inserting an article into a pocket carried by the at least one foldable flap so as to provide padding.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention is described, by way of non-limiting example only, by reference to the accompanying figures, in which;

FIG. 1 is a top view illustrating an apparatus for protecting a surfboard;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view illustrating the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a perspective side view illustrating the apparatus with flaps having pockets and compartments of the apparatus being open so as to receive articles such as articles of clothing;

FIG. 4 is a other perspective side view illustrating the apparatus with the flaps hanging downwardly ready to receive the surfboard;

FIG. 5 is another perspective side view illustrating the surfboard at least partially received by the apparatus and being ready to be placed into a surfboard bag;

FIG. 6 is a partial rear view illustrating tail flaps of the apparatus extending around the tail rail of the surfboard;

FIG. 7 is a partial side view illustrating a side rail flap of the apparatus extending around and along a rail of the surfboard;

FIG. 8 is a partial side view illustrating a front flap of the apparatus extending around a front rail of the surfboard;

FIG. 9 is a partial side perspective view illustrating a strap and fold lines of the apparatus;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the apparatus being moved toward a rolled or stowed condition;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the apparatus in the rolled or stowed condition so as to provide a bag;

FIG. 12 is a partial side view of the nose of the apparatus showing a strap;

FIG. 13 a is a front view illustrating the apparatus in a folded state in which a hanger is located by the apparatus to hang the apparatus;

FIGS. 13 b is a rear view illustrating the apparatus in a folded state in which a hanger is located within the apparatus to hang the cover;

FIG. 14 a is a top view illustrating the surfboard within the board bag without the apparatus;

FIG. 14 b is a top view illustrating the surfboard within the board bag with the apparatus fitted to and around the surfboard;

FIG. 15 a is a top view illustrating a second example of apparatus for protecting a surfboard having a continuous flap;

FIG. 15 b is a bottom view illustrating the second example of the apparatus having the continuous flap;

FIG. 16 a is a top view illustrating the surfboard within the board bag without the apparatus; and

FIG. 16 b is a top view illustrating the surfboard within the board bag with the second example of the apparatus fitted to and around the surfboard.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, there is shown an apparatus 5 for protecting a surfboard 12 located within a surfboard bag 14 (shown in FIG. 5). In this example, the apparatus 5 is provided in the form of an insertable cover 10 being adapted to fit with the surfboard 12 so as to protect the surfboard when the surfboard 12 is located within a surfboard bag 14 (shown in FIG. 5).

The cover 10 includes a substantially surfboard shaped body 16 dimensioned to substantially cover at least one of a top face 18 and bottom face 20 of the surfboard 12. In this example, the cover 10 is shown to be located on the top face 18 of the surfboard 12 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. However, the cover 10 may be located in a similar position on the bottom face 20 of the surfboard 12 depending on the type of surfboard and desired use.

The surfboard shaped body 16 includes a surrounding edge or perimeter 15 which generally traces the plan form shape of an edge rail 24 of the surfboard 12. The surfboard shaped body 16 of the cover 10 includes a first end or nose 17, a second end or tail 19 and sides 21 which extend between the nose 17 and the tail 19. The nose 17, tail 19 and sides 21 each have a shape and profile similar to that of the corresponding part of the surfboard 12.

The surfboard shaped body 16 includes an upper surface or top 23 (shown in FIG. 1) which in use is faced away from the surfboard 12 and a lower surface or bottom 27 (shown in FIG. 2) which in use is placed or fitted so as to lie on or along one of the upper face 18 and the bottom face 20 of the surfboard 12.

The cover 10 includes a periphery portion 25 which extends from the surfboard shaped body 16. The periphery portion 25 is dimensioned to be locatable or extendable over a rail or edge 24 of the surfboard 12 to occupy space between the surfboard 12 and the surfboard bag 14 so as to protect, shield or pad the rail 24 of the surfboard 12 as is best shown in FIG. 4. The periphery portion 25 includes an attached end 31 located at or attached near to the surrounding edge or perimeter 15, and a free end 33 which extends around the rail or edge 24 of the surfboard 12 in use.

In this example, the periphery portion 25 is provided in the form of at least one flap 22 coupled to the body 16. The flap 22 may be releasably coupled to the body 16 or permanently attached to the body 16. Where the flap 22 is permanently attached to the body 16, the flap 22 and the body 16 may be integrally formed.

In this example, the flaps 22 are shown as a plurality of flaps which extend from the surfboard shaped body 16. The flaps 22 may be coupled to the edge 15 of the surfboard shaped body 16. The plurality of flaps 22 include tail flaps 32 arranged to be extendable around the tail section 34 of the rail 24 of the surfboard 12, side flaps 36 arranged to be extendable around and along a side section 28 of the rail 24 of the surfboard 12, and nose flaps 38 arranged to be extendable around a nose section 40 of the rail 24 of the surfboard 12.

Accordingly, it may be appreciated that the periphery portion 25 shown in this example in the form of flaps 22 generally extends around and covers the edge rail 24 of the surfboard 12. It is also noted that whilst in this example one or a plurality of flaps 22 are shown, a single periphery portion 25 in the form of a single large flap 22 which extends around the edge 15 of the surfboard shaped body 16 or an integral extension of the surfboard shaped body 16 beyond the rail 24 of the surfboard 16 may be utilised to achieve similar functionality. An example of the apparatus 5 having such a single continuous flap 22 is shown in FIGS. 15 a and 15 b.

In other examples, the surfboard shaped body 10 may include Velcro, zipper or similar attachment means to which the flaps 22 are configured to releasably couple. The attachment means may extend partially or entirely around the surfboard shaped body 16 so as to allow the flaps 22 to be relocated or attached as need be. For example, a user may wish to move the flaps 22 to suit a particular surfboard shape or surfboard bag.

The flaps 22 include an opening 26 therein into which an article, such as clothing 30 shown in FIG. 3, is receivable so as to provide padding. In this example, the opening 26 in the flap is provided in the form of a pocket 28. However, in other examples, the flap 22 may be formed without the pocket 28 and may include integrally formed padding.

The surfboard shaped body 16 includes at least one receptacle 42 into which further articles 29, such as the clothing 30, may be receivable to provide further padding for the surf board 14. In this example, the at least one receptacle 42 is provided in the form of a series of four compartments 44 into which further the articles are receivable. The compartments 44 are each releasably sealable by a zipper 46. The zipper 46 may be replaced by a button, Velcro or other similar sealing means.

The zipper 46 includes a side section 49 extending in a lengthwise direction along one side of each of the compartments 44 and a curved section 47 which extents at least partially across the surfboard shaped body 16 between the sides 21 of the body 16. The zipper 46 having the side section 49 and curved section 47 enables easier and more complete access to the series of compartments 44.

The series of compartments 44 are segmented so as to form segmentation fold lines 48 which extend across the surfboard shaped body 16 between the sides 21 of the body 16. One of the fold lines 38 is intermediate the nose 17 and the tail 19 of the surfboard shaped body 16 so as to allow the cover 10 to be folded in half as is further described in relation to FIGS. 13 a and FIG. 13 b.

Referring now more specifically to FIG. 3, the cover 10 is shown as being packed with articles, such clothing 30, to provide padding. The pockets 28 and the compartments 44 may be partially or completely filled with articles to pad and protect the surfboard 12 when placed with the surfboard bag 14 as shown in FIG. 5.

The opening 26 of the pockets 28 face the surfboard shaped body 16 so as to retain and the articles 29 therein when placed on the surfboard 12 as is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. It may be appreciated in this arrangement the pockets 28 are accessible from the upper side 23 of the cover 10 which faces away from the surfboard 12. This allows the pockets 28 to be accessible when the cover 12 is located on and around the surfboard 12 when the surfboard 12 and cover 10 are placed or located within the surfboard bag 14.

Furthermore, as may be appreciated from FIG. 4, because of the arrangement of the pockets 28, when the pockets 28 are filled, the pockets 28 become weighted toward the bottom and tend to hang or drape from the surfboard shaped body 16 over the rails 24 surfboard 12. This compacts or reduces the overall plan form shape of the cover 10 allowing the cover 10 and the surfboard 12 to be placed in the surfboard bag 14 as is shown in FIG. 5.

Similarly, the compartments 44 are also accessible from the upper side 23 of the cover 10 and are accessible when the cover 12 is located on and around the surfboard 12 when the surfboard 12 and cover 10 are placed or located within the surfboard bag 14.

Advantageously, the location and configuration of the pockets 28 and the compartments 44 allow a traveller to open the main surfboard bag 14 and easily access to the articles 29 retained and stored in the pockets 28 and the compartments 44.

In this example, as is shown best in FIG. 5, the surfboard bag 14 includes a base section 43 having side walls 35 which define a void 45 into which the cover 10 and the surfboard 12 are received. A lid 41 of the surfboard bag 14 is then closed to secure the cover 10 and the surfboard 12 within the surfboard bag 14.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the tail 19 of the surfboard shaped body 16 is shown in more detail. Each tail flap 32 being generally rectangular in shape and having the opening 26 leading into the pocket 28. The tail flaps 32 each have a length and width to extend along and wrap around the tail section 34 of the surfboard 12 so as to be tucked or folded under the surfboard 12 and/or occupy space between the surfboard 12 and a side wall 35 (as shown in FIG. 5) of the surfboard bag 14.

The tail flap 32 may have lengths sufficient to provide packing and padding underneath the tail section 34 so as to occupy the space between the rocker line of the surfboard 12 and the inside of the surfboard bag 14. The tail 19 also includes an attachment point in the form of a small aperture or gap 50.

Referring now to FIG. 7, one of the side flaps 36 of the surfboard shaped body 16 is shown in more detail. The side flap 36 is generally rectangular in shape having the opening 26 leading into the pocket 28. The side flaps 36 each have a sufficient length and width to extend along and wrap around the side rail 24 of the surfboard 12 to be tucked under the surfboard 12 and/or occupy space between the side rail 24 of the surfboard 12 and a side wall of the surfboard bag 14.

Referring now to FIG. 8, one of the nose flaps 38 of the surfboard shaped body 16 is shown in more detail. The nose flap 38 is generally rectangular in shape having the opening 26 leading into the pocket 28.

The nose flaps 38 each have a length and width sufficient to extend along and wrap around the nose section 40 of the surfboard 12 as to be tucked or folded under the surfboard 12. The nose flaps 38 may have a length sufficient to provide packing and padding underneath the nose section 40 so as to occupy the space between the rocker line of the surfboard 12 and the inside of the surfboard bag 14.

The nose 17 also includes an attachment point in the form of a strap or eyelet 52, which may be a Velcro strap that may be used to hang the cover 10. More specifically, the strap 52 is dimensioned to pass through the hole 50 for hanging the cover 10 when the cover 10 is in a folded state as is further described with reference to FIGS. 13 a and 13 b.

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, the cover 10 includes a carry strap 54 which is coupled to the opposing sides 21 of the surfboard shaped body 16. The strap 54 is arranged such that the cover 10 may be rolled between the nose 17 and tail 19 to as to provide a rucksack style carry bag 60 as is shown in FIG. 11.

In further detail, the cover 10 may be arranged with the bottom 27 of the cover 10 facing upwardly and the flaps 22 may be folded in the direction of arrow “A” shown in FIG. 9 to lie adjacent the bottom 27 of the cover 10. The cover 10 may then be rolled from nose 17 to tail 19 to form the carry bag 60. A detachable retaining strap 62 is then fitted around the carry bag 60 to retain the cover 10 in a rolled state.

The detachable retaining strap 62 may have a number of lengths to accommodate the girth of the carry bag 64 which may vary depending on whether or not the flaps and compartments are filled with articles 29 such as the clothing 30. The retaining strap 62 may be attached or stitched to the upper surface 23 of the cover 10 or provided as a separate part with the cover 10.

Referring to FIGS. 12, 13 a and 13 b, the strap 52 of the nose 17 of the body 16 is shown in more detail which is used to hang the cover 10 when the cover 10 is in a folded state as shown in FIGS. 13 a and 13 b.

In the folded state, the cover 10 is folded at the centre fold line 48 such that the nose 17 and the tail 19 of the body 16 substantially meet with one another as may be appreciated from FIGS. 13 a and 13 b.

In this example, the nose strap 52 is passed through the aperture 50 in the tail 19 which draws the nose 17 and tail 19 together. A hook or a coat hanger 56 may be inserted through the nose strap 52 with the body of the coat hanger captured by the strap 52. This secures the nose 17 and tail 19 together and allows the cover 10 to be hung with the coat hanger 56. The cover 10 is folded with opposing halves of the underside face 27 meeting with one another and the outer face 23 facing the external environment. This enables a user to access the compartments 44 when the cover 10 is hung in the folded state. The zipper 46, in particular the curved zipper portion 47, are arranged to allow easy access to the compartments 44 in the folded state.

Referring to FIG. 14 a, the surfboard 12 is shown located within the surfboard bag 14 without the cover 10 fitted to the surfboard 12. In this configuration, there is a gap or space 55 between the surfboard 12 and side walls 35 of the surfboard bag 14 which may result in the surfboard 12 moving within the bag 14 or an impacting object to damage the surfboard 12.

In contrast, FIG. 14 b shows the cover 10 fitted to the surfboard 12. In this example, the flaps 22 may be filled with articles 29 such as the clothing 30 and occupy the space 55 between the surfboard 12 and the surfboard bag 14. This provides padding and protection to the surfboard 12 and assists to retain the surfboard 12 in a desired location central to the surfboard bag 14. In addition, as the flaps 22 are captured between the surfboard 12 and the surfboard bag 14 the articles 29 that may be stored in the pockets 28 are retained and secured by the light compression between the surfboard 12, the cover 10 and side walls 35 of the surfboard bag 14.

Referring to FIGS. 15 a, 15 b, 16 a and 16 b there is shown a second example of the apparatus 5. In this example, most parts or features of the apparatus 5 remain the same as those described above and like numerals are used to denote like parts. The common parts labelled in FIGS. 15 a, 15 b, 16 a and 16 b are not all again described here.

In this example, the apparatus 5 provided in the form of the cover 10 includes a single periphery portion 25 in the form of a single large or continuous flap 22 which extends around the edge 15 of the surfboard shaped body 16. The periphery portion 25 in the form of the single large flap 22 includes an attached end 31 located at or attached near to the surrounding edge or perimeter 15, and a free end 33 which extends around the rail or edge 24 of the surfboard 12 in use. In this example, the free end 33 of the continuous flap 22 traces a continuous surfboard shape similar to that of the edge 15 of the surfboard shaped body 16.

The continuous flap 22 includes a substantially continuous pocket 28 having an opening 26 in which articles 29 may be received for storage and providing padding to protect the surfboard 12, in particular, the rail or edge 24 of the surfboard 12.

In this example, the apparatus 5 provided in the form of the cover 10 is adapted to be extendable to accommodate surf boards 14 having a variety of lengths and so as to provide a snug fit. More specifically, the cover 10 includes an elastic strip or part 70 which are arranged to allow the resilient lengthwise expansion of the cover 10.

In this example, the elastic part 70 is provided in the form of an elastic or stretchable section 72 arranged to laterally span the cover 10 between the opposing free ends 33 of the flaps 22. Accordingly, the elastic or stretchable section 72 splits or divides the cover 10 into a front section 76 located toward the nose 17 and a rear or back section located toward the tail 19. The elastic or stretchable section 72 may be formed of a strip of elastic material 74 which is attached the front section 76 and rear section 78 of the cover 10. The elastic or stretchable section 72 may be configured to allow each size of cover 10 to accommodate a range of board sizes, for example, boards in the range of 5 ft 10 inch to 6 ft 4 inch etc. The cover 10 then may be provided in series of sizes which each accommodate a range of board sizes.

The intermediate location of the elastic or stretchable section 72 also provides an intermediate fold line 79 so as to allow the folding of the cover 10 for hanging or storage as was previously described in relation to FIGS. 13 a and 13 b. The series of compartments 44 are provided on either side of the elastic section 72 in a similar manner to that described in relation to the first example.

Referring to FIG. 16 a, the surfboard 12 is shown located within the surfboard bag 14 without the cover 10 fitted to the surfboard 12. In this configuration, there is a gap or space 55 between the surfboard 12 and side walls 35 of the surfboard bag 14 which may result in the surfboard 12 moving within the bag 14 or an impacting object to damage the surfboard 12.

In contrast, FIG. 16 b shows the second example of the cover 10 having the continuous flap 22 fitted to the surfboard 12. In this example, the continuous flap 22 may be filled with articles 29 such as the clothing 30 and substantially occupies the space 55 between the surfboard 12 and the surfboard bag 14. This provides padding and protection to the surfboard 12 and assists to retain the surfboard 12 in a desired location central to the surfboard bag 14. In addition, as the flap 22 is captured between the surfboard 12 and the surfboard bag 14 the articles 29 that may be stored in the pockets 28 are retained and secured by the light compression between the surfboard 12, the cover 10 and side walls 35 of the surfboard bag 14.

In this example, the continuous flap 22 is arranged to have a sufficient length and width to extend along and wrap around the side rail 24 of the surfboard 12 to be tucked under the surfboard 12 and/or occupy space between the side rail 24 of the surfboard 12 and a side wall of the surfboard bag 14. The elastic part 70 is arranged such that the cover 10 may be stretched to fit with a range of surfboard lengths so that the surfboard shaped body 16 of the cover 10 substantially fits with and covers the top face 18 of the surfboard 12, with the continuous flap 22 being free to extend around the rails 24 and at least partially along the underside or bottom face 20 of the surfboard 12.

In any of the above examples, the cover 10 may be formed from a variety of light weight materials including water proof materials. One material which may be used to form the cover 10 is poplin which is hardy, cheap and weight material. A water proofing substance such as scotch guard may then be applied.

The cover 10 may be any suitable length and width. For example, if the surfboard 12 is 1.8 m in length (approximately 6 ft), the cover 10 may be at least 1.8 m in length with the periphery portion 25 extending beyond the rails 24 of the surfboard 12. In the examples presenter herein the periphery portion 25, more specifically the at least one flap 22, may have a length of about 100 mm to about 300 mm

Advantageously, the above described apparatus provides a protective cover and a bag for use with a surfboard being carried within a typical surfboard bag. The apparatus provides storage compartments and at least one flap having a pocket which is arranged to protect and secure the surfboard with the surfboard bag. The storage compartments and flap having one of more pockets also provide a place to arrange, store and retain articles such as clothing within the surfboard bag to prevent these articles moving and becoming unevenly distributed within the surfboard bag.

Accordingly, the apparatus provides the dual advantages of organising articles within a surfboard bag and providing padding and support to the surfboard being carried within a typical surfboard bag. Most advantageously, the apparatus seeks to use the organised articles stored within compartments and pockets to function as the padding and support. A user is able to add and remove articles from the compartments and pockets to change the amount and location of the padding and support so as to provide a custom fit for the surfboard being carried within the surfboard bag.

The apparatus also has other advantages, for example, the compartments and pockets are arranged on top of the apparatus so as to be accessible when the surfboard is stored within the surfboard bag. Furthermore, the apparatus may also form a bag its own right being rolled up to form a rucksack like bag. The apparatus may also be folded in half and hung with a coat hanger within a closet providing a neat storage bag.

The reference in this specification to any known matter or any prior publication is not, and should not be taken to be, an acknowledgment or admission or suggestion that the known matter or prior art publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the field to which this specification relates.

While specific examples of the invention have been described, it will be understood that the invention extends to alternative combinations of the features disclosed or evident from the disclosure provided herein.

Many and various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed or evident from the disclosure provided herein. 

The claims defining the Invention are as follows:
 1. An apparatus for protecting a surfboard when the surfboard is located within a surfboard bag, the apparatus including a substantially surfboard shaped body dimensioned to substantially cover at least one of a top and bottom face of the surfboard and a peripheral portion extending from the body, wherein the peripheral portion is adapted to provide padding and is arranged to be locatable in a space between side rails of the surfboard and side walls of the surfboard bag so as to protect the surfboard.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral portion is provided in the form of a flap dimensioned to extend over the side rails of the surfboard, the flap being adapted to receive an article so as to provide the padding.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the flap includes a pocket in which the article is receivable.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pocket is arranged to be accessible from a side of the flap which faces away from the surfboard.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the flap is continuous and skirts the surfboard shaped body.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of flaps are provided each of which are coupled to a periphery of the surfboard shaped body.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of flaps include: a tail flap arranged to be extendable around the tail section of the rail of the surfboard; side flaps arranged to be extendable around and along a side section of the rail of the surfboard; and a nose flap arranged to be extendable around a nose section of the rail of the surfboard.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the apparatus includes an elastic part arranged such that the surfboard shaped body is stretchable to accommodate surfboards of varying sizes.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the elastic part is arranged intermediate the surfboard shaped body so as to divide the apparatus into front and rear sections which are moveable in a lengthwise direction relative to one another.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the surfboard shaped body includes at least one receptacle into which a further article is receivable.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one receptacle is located on a top side of the surfboard shaped body.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the at least one receptacle is provided in the form of a series of compartments into which further articles are receivable.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the each of the series of compartments is releasably sealable by at least one of a zipper, button or Velcro.
 14. The apparatus according to 12, wherein the series of compartments are segmented so as to form segmentation fold lines between the compartments which extend across the surfboard shaped body.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein one of the fold lines is intermediate a nose and tail of the surfboard shaped body so as to allow the apparatus to be folded in half to a folded state.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the nose and tail each include one of a strap and an aperture, wherein in the folded state the strap is insertable through the aperture to form an attachment point to which a hanger is attachable to secure and hang the apparatus.
 17. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus is adapted to be rolled into a carry bag.
 18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus includes a carry strap coupled to opposing sides of the surfboard shaped body, the carry strap being configured such that when the apparatus is rolled into the carry bag the strap is accessible for the carriage of the carry bag.
 19. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the article includes at least one of padding or clothing.
 20. A method of packing a surfboard within the surfboard bag using an apparatus, the apparatus including a surfboard shaped body having at least one foldable flap extending from the surfboard shaped body, the method including the steps of: placing the apparatus in a nose to tail orientation on the surfboard with the at least one foldable flaps draped over side rails of the surfboard; and placing the surfboard and apparatus within the surfboard bag such that the foldable flaps are located between side walls of the surfboard bag and the surfboard. 